


Latibule

by bluedotr



Category: When The Night Comes (Visual Novel)
Genre: Cuddling, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 08:20:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19353118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluedotr/pseuds/bluedotr
Summary: The murders had been spot on, but she’d also found hell portals, cover-ups, empty jail cells, and something rotten in the Agency's core. She hadn’t expected those.But she found friends, a strange ragtag family that she would kill to defend. And she hadn’t expected to fall head-over-heels in love with someone whose reputation preceded them, who was meant to be her immediate superior. Yet here she was – curled up in their bed, pressed into their back, and still in disbelief at how fortunate she was.





	Latibule

**Author's Note:**

> latibule (n) - a hiding place; a place of safety and comfort.

The bed was softer, warmer than she last remembered it. It was quieter here too, nothing but the distant hubbub of Lunaris outside. There were none of the inn’s patrons rattling about, no chairs scraping on cracked wooden floor. In her half-sleep stupor, she turned over and pressed her face into someone else, and the faintest hint of lavender filtered into her senses.

Instinct kicked in, and her eyes flew open, now awake in an instant. Heart hammering, she took her surroundings: the ceiling rose above her, the stucco decorations in the corners of the room, the fact her bed had managed to sprout a canopy and plush curtains, and –

She relaxed back into downy pillows, remembering where she was. She pressed her body against the Enforcer General next to her, their skin still warm, fast asleep. Over their shoulder, she could make out a thin sliver of muted light coming through the curtains, edging the dark blue fabric with silver.

Part of her wanted to turn August over, to take in their sleeping features, to see them at peace. She’d been so used to seeing them with a furrowed brow, one hand curled against their cheek, pen in hand as they worked through whatever paperwork the Enforcement Agency dumped on their desk that day. But the other part of her was kinder. Sleep was a hard won luxury for Hunters, for Enforcers, especially those stationed in this part of Eskria. She would not rob them of it, no matter how much she wanted to admire their beauty, especially with pink dusting their collarbones as she kissed her way down their –

Oh, right. Yes, that was it. She wasn’t likely to forget anytime soon. It was strange, because when she first came to Lunaris, she’d come to complete a mission. She'd come to investigate a string of murders, to be in the Enforcement Agency's heartlands, to see the best and the brightest there. 

The murders had been spot on, but she’d also found hell portals, cover-ups, empty jail cells, and something rotten in the Agency's core. She hadn’t expected those.

But she found friends, a strange ragtag family that she would kill to defend. And she hadn’t expected to fall head-over-heels in love with someone whose reputation preceded them, who was meant to be her immediate superior. Yet here she was – curled up in their bed, pressed into their back, and still in disbelief at how fortunate she was.

She’d been snaking her arms around their waist when she heard them cough and shift in her grasp, warm hand holding her own. Her throat felt a little like sandpaper, so instead of speaking, she nuzzled them in greeting, eyes sliding shut in contentment.

“Good morning, Hunter.”

“Good morning, General.”

They chuckled, low and rumbling in their chest, and laced their slender fingers with hers. She gave their hand a soft squeeze, pressed a few kisses to their shoulder, and smiled when she heard their sharp intake of breath.

"I'll be honest." Her voice was muffled against their back. "I might have overexerted myself last night."

"Oh? And here I thought Hunters were trained quite rigorously."

“Mmph, but slaying monsters is not quite the same as making love passionately to - well, your lover.”

August turned over, and she was treated to a lovely view of their lidded, blue eyes, their black-ombre-lilac hair mussed and spilling over one pale, shapely shoulder. In the dim light, she could see the corners of their lips curled into a smile, and they tucked her hand close to their chest.

That wasn't an appropriate way to greet her lover in the morning, so she kissed them instead. It was chaste to start, but the smouldering ember from last night hadn’t entirely died yet: in moments, she rolled August back onto the bed, lying on top of them, hands tangled in their hair as the kiss deepened. It really ought to be illegal, how perfect they felt, how easy it was to fit against them.

“We need to be awake soon.” August’s voice was a murmur against her lips, hands on the small of her back. She stared at them, her mind wondering exactly where she went wrong so that they could _still_ think about work.

“It’s not even dawn,” she protested, resting her forearms on either side of August. “We haven’t slept well in days, and it’s been even longer since – well, you know, I mean, I did get knocked out hunting that creature, we deserve a day off. And – and…”

She stopped. It was growing brighter now, enough that she could make out the colours in August’s bedroom. It chased away the drowsy contentment she’d woken up with, and brought back memories and knowledge Hunter Lane had shown. Her hand, originally toying with a few strands of their hair, stilled, and her blood went cold.

August must have noticed how stiff she went, because they drew in, such that her ear flush with their chest. There, their heartbeat drummed quiet, steady, and her breathing slowed in time to it. The warmth grounded her, and she felt her eyes drift shut again, the chill seeping out of her.

“Outside are problems and anguish and things I don’t know I’m ready to deal with.” She pressed her face into their chest, skin on skin, taking in the scent of lavender and smoke. “Inside, in here, is _you_ and everything I love. So… five more minutes? Please, General?”

They huffed a laugh. A hand wound itself into the nape of her neck, holding her close, and here, she felt – safe, warm, loved.

“I’ll allow it.” 

August’s tone was one she’d heard from them countless times in their office, often accompanied by a barely-restrained eye roll. A glance upwards, however, confirmed that they were smiling at her, features soft and fond, and she reached up to place one more kiss on their lips. She'd be doing a lot more of that, if she could help it.

She still didn’t know what to do with the information she had. Nor did she know how she ought to go about telling the others, who else to tell (or could tell), what it meant. But it needed to be done, and before she did, she could seek solace here with August a little longer.

**Author's Note:**

> This one couldn’t be contained any longer, really, because I fell in love with When the Night Comes and one Enforcer General who needs and loves all the affection. So here it is! Also cross-posted on my Tumblr.


End file.
